MALTA: Back to Colonialism

Almost everywhere else, Britain is letting its
crown colonies move toward self-government, even independence, more
quickly than it often thinks wise. But Britain turned back the clock
last week on the island of Malta, site of the Royal Navy's main base in
the Mediterranean. Unable to satisfy the voracious demands of the
island's unpredictable, Oxford-educated former Prime Minister Dom
Mintoff (who last year wanted to incorporate Malta into Britain
itself, but now talks about making it a neutral port guaranteed by the
U.N. Security Council), and unwilling to grant independence to the
rock-bound island that must import nine times...